Shortly before takeoff, President Donald Trump today told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (plus a delegation of Democrat lawmakers) to fly commercial rather than on a U.S. Air Force jet if she wants to go on a “public relations event” overseas.
In his letter, the president wrote in part that “I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the Strong Border Security movement to end the Shutdown.”
Pelosi is Grounded
Pelosi is a multi-millionaire, so she can afford to pay for her own ticket if the trip is that important.
“Trump’s letter to Pelosi appeared to be in retaliation to the Speaker’s assertion that she would not invite the president to give a State of the Union address until the shutdown is over,” The Daily Caller noted.
“Wednesday, Pelosi wrote Trump recommending he delay the State of the Union address until the government re-opens. And now we know that was on the eve of a week-long trip abroad…in case there was any question about the gamesmanship here,” Legal Insurrection added.
“Like the GOP presidential field in the 2016 primaries, Pelosi may be learning the hard way that you can’t out-troll Trump. This is his bread and butter,” observed the Washington Examiner.
Last weekend, another group of junketeering Democrats spent the weekend partying with lobbyists at an upscale resort in Puerto Rico, the Washington Examiner reported. And over the holidays, Pelosi vacationed in Hawaii.
“Some 30 Democratic lawmakers left the government shutdown behind Friday on a chartered flight to Puerto Rico for a winter retreat with 109 lobbyists and corporate executives during which they planned to see the hit Broadway show Hamilton and attend three parties including one with the show’s cast. “
In the meantime, in what might be attributed to the Trump effect, the House GOP may be showing some spine for a change in response to an anti-Semitic Democrat who was elected to Congress in November.
